The Hawks would love to see Nazar start this season like he did last season (with 11 points in 10 games) and maintain that momentum longer in the first year of his big seven-year contract.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Frank Nazar could use another October like last year, when he started red-hot.<\/p>\n Dilip Vishwanat\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Tyler Bertuzzi \u2014 Anton Frondell \u2014 Nick Lardis<\/p>\n Frondell might not be a center long-term, but Davidson sees the Swedish power forward as a center this year. A summer of studying the position should help him, considering he showed promise last spring but clearly didn\u2019t know every defensive assignment in the Hawks\u2019 system.<\/p>\n Bertuzzi has demonstrated a knack for elevating and engaging linemates with sheer will and determination, and the Hawks might need more of that if he plays alongside two guys with a combined 53 games of NHL experience.<\/p>\n Lardis is flying under the radar somewhat, but he has scored everywhere he has been, including quietly maintaining a 20-goal pace during his first NHL half-season. Following another developmental leap this summer, he could round out the top six.<\/p>\n Teuvo Teravainen \u2014 Oliver Moore \u2014 Ryan Greene<\/p>\n When Bedard returns, Moore may get pushed to the wing, but Bedard\u2019s absence presents Moore with a golden opportunity to grab hold of a checking-line center role. <\/p>\n Moore\u2019s defensive analytics were solid last season and he expressed interest<\/a> in molding himself into a defensive specialist, but his season-ending injury prevented him from finishing the season in Jason Dickinson\u2019s old spot. That tryout comes now.<\/p>\n Teravainen, coming off a subpar season, and Greene, coming off a rookie season in which he played a role (on the first line) that nobody expects him to keep long-term, aren\u2019t easy to slot on the depth chart. They\u2019re both intelligent players, though, so maybe they could join forces on a defensive line.<\/p>\n Cole Smith \u2014 Ryan Donato \u2014 Jordan Greenway<\/p>\n The Hawks sought to add more grit and physicality this summer and did so with Smith<\/a> and Greenway, two large forwards who aren\u2019t afraid to dish hits or drop gloves.<\/p>\n Blashill cast Donato into a bottom-six role last season and isn\u2019t likely to change that stance, although Donato could potentially switch places with Greene.<\/p>\n Landon Slaggert and Andrew Mangiapane, as it stands now, appear to be the forward extras. Mangiapane could be Rockford-bound at some point, as he\u2019s essentially guaranteed to clear waivers due to his $3.6 million salary-cap hit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ryan Donato will likely stick in a bottom-six role this season.<\/p>\n Michael Reaves\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Defensive pairings<\/p>\n The pairings are tricky to predict because the Hawks have five left-handed vs. two right-handed defensemen, although both new left-handed additions \u2014 Bowen Byram and Ian Cole \u2014 have experience playing both sides.<\/p>\n There are a couple ways the Hawks could approach this. They could balance out the pairings with one aggressive, puck-moving defenseman and one conservative, stay-at-home defenseman on each one, or they could unite like-minded defensemen to create, for example, one shutdown pairing.<\/p>\n Alex Vlasic \u2014 Bowen Byram<\/p>\n This top duo assumes the Hawks opt for more balanced pairings and that Byram is the lefty who shifts to the right. One way or another, Byram will likely lead the unit in ice time by several minutes per game over everyone else.<\/p>\n Vlasic\u2019s development has plateaued somewhat over the last two seasons. He and Louis Crevier, his most common partner last season, faced brutal matchups and disrupted plays well enough with their long reaches, but they struggled to exit the defensive zone after doing so.<\/p>\n Byram\u2019s puck-moving abilities could help Vlasic with that, while Vlasic could cover for Byram when he eagerly jumps into rushes. <\/p>\n Ultimately, the defense\u2019s success will depend on Byram quickly becoming a No. 1 defenseman and seizing this opportunity<\/a> he waited for. He needs to dominate his minutes no matter who he\u2019s playing with.<\/p>\n Wyatt Kaiser \u2014 Sam Rinzel<\/p>\n Kaiser\u2019s pairing with Artyom Levshunov was a major disappointment last season, as they were outscored 30-10 during their ice time together.<\/p>\n Kaiser himself was a bright spot, though, as the Hawks actually outscored opponents 39-36 when he wasn\u2019t with Levshunov. Duncan Keith is a believer<\/a> in Kaiser, too. <\/p>\n![\"Frank](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/23f00dd\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/4840x3226+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F0d%2Fc7%2F58b6d2a745dfafabfa4379a7e769%2Fnazar.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Ryan](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/689a3e5\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/3275x2184+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F56%2F21%2Fb524123942ceb430a28283400653%2Fdonato.jpg\")
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